“I was terrified,” she said. “Mick was on the run, and he gave the boy to my husband, swearing us both to secrecy. We knew who he was, but my husband said it felt good to have a little revenge on the Blackstones, and I was never much for standing up to Crocket Malone.”

The tension drained out of Liam, and he sagged, staring into the distance. His expression was impossible to read. Anger? Relief? It seemed to frighten Janet, and she rushed to continue her story.

“We didn’t think you would live,” she said. “You were so sick. Your lungs were full of fluid, and I was the only one who could soothe you. When I rocked you on my lap, you were so grateful. You cried when I had to step away. You were so needy, and I loved being needed. My own baby had only been in his grave for three months, and I was still grieving.”

Liam turned his face away but thumped on the cushion beside him. Hearing the command, Frankie lumbered to his feet and laid his big head on the sofa cushions. Liam mindlessly stroked the dog’s head. His hand trembled.

“Why did you lie all these years?” Liam finally asked.

“I wanted a son,” she said. “When you finally got better, it was too late to give you back without getting into trouble ourselves. We left New York and moved to Pittsburgh, where no one knew us. We figured that if Mick got convicted, he would roll over and confess, but he got away with it. The day I heard the news, I fell to my knees and wept because you’d been with us for almost two years and I couldn’t bear to give you back.”

Patrick curled his hands into fists but tried to block any other emotion from his face. Janet Malone had perpetrated a horrible crime. The grief of losing her own babies could not excuse stealing another woman’s child. He watched Liam carefully, searching for any sign of emotion, but the welder simply looked drained.

“If you want to go back to them, I’d understand,” Janet whispered.

“I don’t want anything to do with those people,” Liam said weakly. “Even if it meant I’d inherit a little money, that’s not who I am or who I want to be.”

“It’s more than a little money,” Patrick said.